finding our place in the cosmos from galileo to sagan and beyond

[Earth-centered universe, with orbits of moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, J...

Illus. and text in: De caelo / Aristoteles. Venice : B. Locatellus for O. Scotus, 1495. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 255.

[Crowned Greek astronomer Ptolemy and his Renaissance translator Regio...

Frontspiece in: Epytoma in Almagestum / Regiomontus. Venice : J. Hammam, 1496. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 29.

[Cosmographical chart], 16th century

No ref. copy. Illus. in: Petrus Apianus, Cosmogra...1524. This record contains unverified data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Cosmography; Pub. Ind.

De figuere vander divisien der spheren ... / graphien van Pe. Apiano.

Motionless earth in center of universe surrounded by seven concentric spheres which carry the sun, the moon, and the planets. Illus. in: Cosmografia / Petrus Apianus. Antuerpiae : G. Bonito, 1545. Published in:... More

[Atlas, dressed like an ancient king, holding earth centered universe ...

Illus. in: The cosmographical glasse / William Cuningham. Excusum Londini : I Day, 1559. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 16.

[Geometric figure of earth, sun, and moon calculated by Aristarchus to...

Illus. in: De magnitudinibus, et distantiis solis, et lunae / Aristarchus of Samos. Pisauri : Apud. C. Francischinum, 1572, p. 30. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : L... More

[Musical scales or range of sound ascribed by Kepler to Saturn, Jupite...

Illus. and text in: Harmonices mundi / Johann Kepler. Lincii Austriae : J. Plancus, 1619, p. 207. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 35.

[Map of moon showing surface features, with four sets of cherubs and a...

Illus. in: Selengraphia / Johannesevelius. Gedani : Autoris Sumtibuss, Typis Hunefeldianus, 1647. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 44.

De Nova stella, anni 1572 - Public domain dedication image

New star discovered in 1572 by Tycho Brahe in the constellation Cassopeia. Illus. in: Opera omnia / Tycho Brahe. Francofurti: Impensis I.G. Schweteri, 1648, p. 235. Published in: The tradition of science / Leon... More

The figure of the World. - Public domain vintage map

In upper right corner: p. 2. includes text and 4 diagrams. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy has red-bordered label affixed to verso, with 516/1 written in ink. ... More

[Allegorical scene of three people with astronomy equipment]

Illus. in: Almagestvm novvm astronomiam veterem ... / Giovanni Battista Riccioli, 1651. Public domain scan of 17th-century scientific illustration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

[Three maps of the cosmological systems of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Br...

Title supplied by cataloger. Includes text. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy assembled from three separate maps, trimmed and mounted on sheet. LC copy imperfect... More

[Collection of nine images including astronomical instruments, celesti...

Title devised by cataloger. English, French and Latin. James Ferguson article from Gent. Mag. March 1769. Nine printed images and two panels of printed text mounted on paper within hand drawn frames colored yel... More

Planisphaerivm Aratevm sive Compages Orbivm Mvndanorvm ex hypothesi Ar...

Appears in Andreas Cellarius' Harmonia macrocosmica. Amstelodami : Apud Gerardum Valk & Petrum Schenk, 1708. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy accompanied by pho... More

[Four diagrams of Solar eclipses]. - Public domain map

Title devised by cataloger. Appears in: Universal Geography, Johanne Bunone, London, 1711. In upper right margin: p. 30. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy stamp... More

[Astrological charts]. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Engraving by I. Senex. Illus. in: William Derham, Astro-theology. London, 1715. No ref. copy. This record contains unverified data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Religion; Astrology; Pub. Ind.

La sphere artificielle ou armilaire oblique : elevée sur l'horizon a l...

Includes diagrams of the Copernican, Brahean, Cartesian, and Ptolemaic systems, maps of the Sun and Moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter, and two diagrams showing the Earth's parallels. Available also through... More

A scheme of the Solar system with the orbits of the planets and comets...

Includes text. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy stamped in blue ink in lower left margin: 82A. LC copy imperfect: Darkened, use-worn, losses along edges, mounte... More

A scheme of the Solar system with the orbits of the planets and comets...

Includes text. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy annotated in ink on verso: Whiston's Solar System.

The Solar System, with the orbits of 5 remarkable comets.

Appears in: A complete system of geography / Emanuel Bowen. London, 1747. 2 vol[s]. Includes diagrams of: Oblique sphere -- Right sphere -- Parallel sphere. Available also through the Library of Congress Web si... More

A map of the moon showing phases The geography of the great solar ecli...

Shows the path of the eclipse. Relief shown pictorially. Includes 24 diagrams showing the eclipse as seen from different cities. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC cop... More

Eclipsis solis ad 25. Julii ao. 1748 in Europa a spectandae nova delin...

Includes text. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.

[Groups of stars]. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Illus. in: Thomas Wright, An Original Theory... of the Universe..., London, 1750, plate XIV. Reference copy may be in SSF - ASTRONOMY. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card t... More

[Groups of stars]. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Illus. in: Thomas Wright, An Original Theory... of the Universe..., London, 1750, plate XVII. Reference copy may be in SSF - ASTRONOMY. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card ... More

[Groups of stars]. Book illustration from Library of Congress

Illus. in: Thomas Wright, An Original Theory... of the Universe..., London, 1750, plate XII. Reference copy may be in SSF - ASTRONOMY. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card t... More

Utilité particuliére, du vaisseau volant Divers utilités, du vaisseau ...

Two songs illustrated with humorous pictures of men using flying machines for various purposes. The left panel shows a man fleeing from his creditors, while the four vignettes to the right depict a clergyman, a... More

Introduction a la géographie: carte des diverses positions de la spher...

Appears in Didier Robert de Vaugondy's Atlas d'étude, pour l'instruction de la jeunesse, composé de trente-cinq cartes. A Paris : Chez C.F. Delamarche, Géographe, rue du Foin S. Jacques, au Collège de Me. Gerv... More

A celestial planisphere, or map of the heavens /

"Entered according to Act of Congress Septr. 1st. 1835 by F.J. Huntington of the State of Connecticut." "Pl. VIII." Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy imperfect: ... More

A plan or map of the Solar System projected for schools & academies /

"Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1846, by Hall Colby, in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New York." Available also through the Library ... More

Eclipse of the sun, 1846 : April 25 /

"Deposited in the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New York February 21, 1846." Includes notes and world map showing path of eclipse. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a rast... More

[An illustration of the Ptolemaic concept of the universe showing the ...

Woodcut from Jan Glogowczyk's Introductarium copendiosum in Tractatu...Cracow, 1513. Reference copy may be available in LOT 7007. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracin... More

[Galileo offering his telescope to three women (possibly Urania and at...

Illus. in: Opere di Galileo Galilei .... Bologna : Per gli hh del Dozza, 1655-56 [v.1, 1656] Published in: The tradition of technology : Landmarks of Western technology ... / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C.... More

[Phase of the moon taken March 1851]

"Crystalotype" or salted paper print from a daguerreotype of the moon taken and printed by John A. Whipple. Illus. in: The photographic art-journal. New York : W.B. Smith, 1853, v. 6, no. 1 (July), frontispiec... More

Gran tavola cosmografica contenente le rotazioni annuali terresti corr...

Includes text, four hemispherical views of the Earth showing night and day and different times and latitudes, and colored illustrations. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image... More

The solar system. - Public domain vintage map

In lower right margin: 7. Includes diagrams of: Theory of the Seasons -- Eclipses -- Theory of Tides -- Phases of the Moon -- Mariner's Compass. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.

Un missionnaire du moyen âge raconte qu'il avait trouvé le point où le...

Illustration shows a man on earth peering through the universe to what was believed in the middle ages to lie beyond. Illus. in: L'atmosphere; météorologie populaire / Camille Flammarion. Paris : Librairie Hach... More

The most important thing in the universe / L.M. Glackens.

Illustration shows two Martians, one holding a telescope and yawning, expressing relief now that the election for governor of New York has been decided (in favor of Charles Evans Hughes); in the background, on ... More

Stars of the first 5 magnitudes visible in Northern latitudes /

Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy photocopy with slightly different typography and mounted on cloth is similar to LC original printed copy. LC copy mounted on cloth.

Stars of the first 5 magnitudes visible in Northern latitudes /

Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy hand colored. LC copy has blue crayon on verso: 14207/1909. LC copy imperfect: Torn in half along vertical fold line.

[The Earth with the Milky Way and moon]

Title devised by cataloger. (DLC/PP-1934:0056). Forms part of: Cabinet of American illustration (Library of Congress). Published in: "The Future of the Earth" by Maurice Maeterlinck, Cosmopolitan, 64:41 (Mar. 1... More

Erde und Planeten, Erde und Mond / - Public domain map

Appears in: Sydow-Wagners methodischer Schul-Atlas. 1923, 1926 and 1928 editions. Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image. LC copy mounted on cloth.

Draft of letter to Gerard Kuiper

Draft of a letter in which Carl Sagan accepts an offer from Gerard Kuiper to study Mars from the McDonald Observatory in the summer of 1956.

The Evolution of Interstellar Space Flight

This drawing, created by a 10-13 year-old Carl Sagan, presents a vision for space flight as a collage of newspaper headlines from the future. Some of the headlines announce technological developments, like an ... More

Mars : MEC-1 Prototype. - Public domain map

"Base 101. Base information Aug. 1962." "Lithographed by ACIC 7-65." "Prepared with the advisory assistance of E.C. Slipher of the Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona." Includes notes, statistical data, and ... More

USAF lunar wall mosaic : LEM-1B. - Public domain map

"Mosaic compiled November 1962." "Lithographed by ACIC 3-63." Relief shown by shading. Lunar coordinates: W 0⁰--E 0⁰/N 90⁰--S 90⁰. Includes "Lunar data" and "Graphic data." Available also through the Library of... More

Is there life on Earth? : note - Public domain document scan

In this document, Carl Sagan describes the lumens (a unit of measure for visible light) given off by various cities in California. From Carl Sagan's "ideas riding" files, a play on "ideas writing." These files ... More

Nature of the clouds of Venus : note

In this document, Carl Sagan considers the properties of the clouds of Venus. He notes that the clouds "are not water, because the temperature of the clouds of Venus is so large that much of the water vapor wou... More

An astronomical observatory on Mars : note

In this document, Carl Sagan suggests "an astronomical observatory on Mars would permit observations of astronomical parallaxes to be improved by about fifty percent." From Carl Sagan's "ideas riding" files, a ... More

Letter from Charles A. Berry to Carl Sagan regarding a proposed biolog...

Charles A. Berry thanks Carl Sagan for his work on a biology training program for Apollo program astronauts and invites Sagan to further participate in facilitating the training program.

[Diagram demonstrating Kepler's first two laws of planetary motion usi...

Illus. and text in: Astronomia nova /Johann Kepler. Prague : 1609, p. 286. Published in: The tradition of science / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1987, p. 34.

Letter to David Morrison - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan expresses that he is sorry that David Morrison will not be able to work alongside him in the coming year. He hopes that, the 4,000 miles between Cornell University and the University of Hawaii will n... More

"For Viking file" note - Public domain document scan

Note written for Sagan's "Viking file" discussing the possibility of life on Mars.

Letter to David Morrison - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan thanks David Morrison for sending information about Physics 111, the introductory special topics course in astronomy David Morrison taught at the University of Hawaii.

Interstellar music : note - Public domain document scan

In this document, Carl Sagan ponders if interstellar communication might not be "messages but music." He notes that "there are phenomena from the atomic to the stellar and galactic where harmonies and resonance... More

Why are clouds white? : note - Public domain document scan

In this document, Carl Sagan asks "why are clouds white?" He notes "It is certainly not an exact compensation by absorption for the solar spectrum, because the compensation would have to be too precise." From C... More

Stages of galactic history with respect to extraterrestrial intelligen...

In this document, Carl Sagan imagines the history of the galaxy with respect to extraterrestrial intelligence. He mentions the first generation of stars, the formation of planets, the evolution of stars, the de... More

Some whale music is very much like cello music : note

In this document, Carl Sagan notes similarities between whale song and cello music. He suggests it "would be a good idea to position Mstislav Rostropovich on poop-deck of a fast Caribbean boat and have him harm... More

Letter to Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan writes to Neil deGrasse Tyson, then a senior at The Bronx High School of Science in New York City. Sagan suggests that given Tyson's resume he could engage in real astronomical research as an undergr... More

Letter to Steven Wall. NASA public domain image colelction.

Sagan explains he is concerned about the "somewhat remote" possibility that there might be nocturnal Martian organisms that the Viking Lander might not be able to capture in photographs taken in the dim light o... More

Jovian radio organisms : note - Public domain document scan

In this document, Carl Sagan records a "very speculative idea." He suggests extremely large organisms on Jupiter could use radio waves for inter-organism communication. From Carl Sagan's "ideas riding" files, a... More

Letter to Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan thanks Neil deGrasse Tyson for sending him a copy of the Bronx High School of Science Physical Science Journal.

Letter from Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Neil deGrasse Tyson writes to Carl Sagan to inform him that he has decided to attend Harvard University. Tyson offers his gratitude for the hospitality Sagan showed him when he met with him at Cornell.

Letter to Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan congratulates Neil deGrasse Tyson on being admitted to Harvard and asks him to keep him posted about his progress in school.

Letter to Brown University Admissions Office

Carl Sagan recommends David Grinspoon for admission into the undergraduate program at Brown University. Sagan describes Grinspoon as "bright, cheerful, hardworking, eclectic in his interests, and possessed of a... More

Letter from Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Neil deGrasse Tyson writes to Carl Sagan about his first year as an undergraduate student at Harvard University.

Letter to David Grinspoon - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan writes to David Grinspoon, then an undergraduate student at Brown University asking if he could help Sagan find a copy of a book containing seventeen articles on astronomy by science fiction author H... More

Briefing notes for President Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale

A handwritten note Carl Sagan used to brief President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale. The note is written on Watergate Hotel stationary. It includes the terms exploration, wonder, the origin of ... More

Alternate high tech Mayan universe : note

In this document, Carl Sagan briefly describes an idea to show "alternate universes" with "Mayan high technology" in the television series Cosmos: A personal voyage. This includes "a space vehicle named and dec... More

Letter to David Grinspoon - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan thanks David Grinspoon, then an undergraduate student at Brown University, for sending a book of science fiction author H.P. Lovecraft's writings on astronomy. Sagan then invites Grinspoon apply for ... More

Two possible replacement titles for "Man and the cosmos" : note

In this document, Carl Sagan suggests two different potential names for the television series he was working on, then tentatively called "Man and the cosmos." He considers renaming it "There" [with some subtitl... More

Letter to Seymour Abrahamson regarding Hermann Muller

Sagan explains the important role that Hermann Muller played in his intellectual development. Noting that Muller encouraged him to study the origin of life and exobiology and introduced him to Harold Urey. Saga... More

Letter of recommendation for David Grinspoon, to Dr. Alex Woronow

Carl Sagan recommends David Grinspoon for the graduate program in planetary sciences at the University of Arizona. Sagan reflects on Grinspoon's work as an assistant to the Voyager Imaging Team.

Alien united nations : note - Public domain document scan

A short note from Carl Sagan on the need to "figure out how to live with high technology" and "avoid nuclear war." Sagan suggests that "there are at this moment a million advanced civilizations in the Milky Wa... More

Scientists tithe time to science education : note

In this document, Carl Sagan suggests scientists should tithe ten percent of their time to public science education to safeguard future funding and support for science. From Carl Sagan's "ideas riding" files, a... More

Diagram of all space and time - Public domain document scan

A hand drawn diagram from Carl Sagan representing all of space and time. The X axis represents time, going into the future and into the past and the Y axis represents scale, from the size of the electron to the... More

Birthday letter to Chuck Berry - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan wish Chuck Berry a happy 60th birthday. They note that his music "will live forever" because his performance of "Johnny B. Goode" are included on the Voyager interstellar records attac... More

Letter to Neil Tyson - Public domain document scan

Carl Sagan writes back to Neil deGrasse Tyson thanking him for copies of draft material for Tyson's book Merlin's tour of the universe, for which Tyson is seeking out a publisher. Sagan complements and congratu... More

Letter to Larry Esposito, recommending David Grinspoon for a tenure tr...

Carl Sagan unreservedly recommends David Grinspoon for a tenure-track position at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Memo to Ann Druyan, George Miller & Linda Obost concerning religious d...

In a memo addressed to Ann Druyan, George Miller & Linda Obost Carl Sagan suggests that the social, cultural and religious differences dividing humanity on Earth would likely seem trivial and irrelevant in the ... More

Howard Miller telling a story about his 'coon hounds

In the mountains and elsewhere, hounds have long been used for hunting a variety of game, including fox, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit, and bear. Several well-known American breeds have developed in the mountains, ... More

Recommendation for the promotion of Carolyn Porco to full professor at...

In this letter, Carl Sagan supports Carolyn Porco's case for promotion to full professor at the University of Arizona. Sagan focuses on the important role Porco played on the Cassini Imaging Science Team.

Ann Druyan letter to the press - Public domain document scan

Druyan reflects on Carl Sagan's values and his role as a popularizer of science in his last book, Billions and billions : thoughts on life and death at the brink of the millennium, published in 1997, and his sc... More

Epytoma Ioannis de Monte Regio in Almagestum Ptolomei

Woodcut title. Begun by Georg von Peurbach. Edited by Giovanni Abiosi. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Goff R-111 Hain-Copinger 13806 BM 15th cent., V, p. 427 (IB.23380) IGI ... More

Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari e loro accidenti c...

Edited by Angelo de Filiis. Includes four letters from Weiser to Galilei. Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection, 1340 Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. LAC ecr 2... More

Harmonices mvndi libri v. qvorvm primus geometricvs,

Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Books 1-2 and books 3-5 are paged continuously. Books 1, 4 and 5 have special t.p. included in pagination.

Appearance of phenomena immediately after the beginning of totality Ap...

The sun and moon at the beginning (plate 7) and ending (plate 8) points of totality of a solar eclipse. Illus. in: On the total solar eclipse of July 18th, 1860, observed at Rivabellosa, near Miranda de Ebro in... More

Letter from Alexander Graham Bell to Mabel Hubbard Bell, November 29, ...

Extraterrestrial objects of possible biological interest : notebook

This notebook includes a handwritten set of notes on the possibility of life in our solar system. It includes consideration of Mercury, Venus, Jovian planets, satellites of Jovian planets, and comets.

The sounds of Earth - coin, public domain photograph

A gold-plated copper disc that contains sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. Includes 115 images, a variety of natural sounds, 90-minutes of musical selections from ... More

Letter from Neil Tyson with enclosures

Neil deGrasse Tyson writes to Carl Sagan for recommendations for an agent or publisher he might contact about turning a series of Q & A pieces he wrote for Star date the astronomy news report into an illustrate... More

Pale blue dot : a vision of the human future in space : second draft

The second of twenty full drafts of Pale blue dot : a vision of the human future in space, published in 1994. Sagan discusses the history of astronomy and considers the future of humanity in space, arguing that... More

The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark : draft

A full draft of Carl Sagan's book, The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark, published in 1995. Intended for a general audience, the book focuses on distinguishing science from pseudoscience, fo... More

The Things that Live on Mars

From "The Cosmopolitan", Vol. 64 Issue 4

Epytoma Ioannis de Monte Regio in Almagestum Ptolomei

Woodcut title. Begun by Georg von Peurbach. Edited by Giovanni Abiosi. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Goff R-111 Hain-Copinger 13806 BM 15th cent., V, p. 427 (IB.23380) IGI ... More

Istoria e dimostrazioni intorno alle macchie solari e loro accidenti c...

Edited by Angelo de Filiis. Includes four letters from Weiser to Galilei. Library of Congress. Lessing J. Rosenwald collection, 1340 Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. LAC ecr 2... More

Harmonices mvndi libri v. qvorvm primus geometricvs,

Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site. Books 1-2 and books 3-5 are paged continuously. Books 1, 4 and 5 have special t.p. included in pagination.

Appearance of phenomena immediately after the beginning of totality Ap...

The sun and moon at the beginning (plate 7) and ending (plate 8) points of totality of a solar eclipse. Illus. in: On the total solar eclipse of July 18th, 1860, observed at Rivabellosa, near Miranda de Ebro in... More

Letter from Alexander Graham Bell to Mabel Hubbard Bell, November 29, ...

Extraterrestrial objects of possible biological interest : notebook

This notebook includes a handwritten set of notes on the possibility of life in our solar system. It includes consideration of Mercury, Venus, Jovian planets, satellites of Jovian planets, and comets.

The sounds of Earth - coin, public domain photograph

A gold-plated copper disc that contains sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. Includes 115 images, a variety of natural sounds, 90-minutes of musical selections from ... More